Chills and thrills: Monster trucks return for Sublimity Harvest Festival

By Mary Owen

Celebrating its 44th year, the Sublimity Harvest Festival promises chills and thrills with truck pulls, ATV pulls and a monster truck show capping each day.

“Record crowds are expected again,” said Scott Ingalls, spokesman for the annual event held at the Sublimity Harvest Festival Fairgrounds. “The award-winning festival features a variety of classes in each category of pulls, including stock, modified and pro-modified pulling rigs each day.”

This year, Ingalls said the Harvest Festival will feature three family driving teams in the six monster trucks that will perform at the end of the pulling schedule. The trucks and drivers include Wicked and Kamakazi, driven by Kreg and Casey Christensen; Obsession and Obsessed, driven by Rick and Eric Swanson; and Nitro Menace and Jail Bird, driven by Darren and Kaylyn Migues.

Along with all the motor sports action, the festival also features an entertainment tent with music and performers all weekend as well as a Kids Zone that offers inflatables and water games for youngsters.

“There are also a dozen food booths and commercial displays,” Ingalls said of the three-day event that runs Friday, Sept. 9 through Sunday, Sept. 11. Gates open at 4 p.m. Friday, followed by a Pit Party and Driver Meet-and-Greet, and close at 1p.m. after music by Blue City Diesel in the Coors Light entertainment tent.

The annual Fun Run takes place at 9 a.m. Saturday morning followed a parade at 11 a.m. starting at the Sublimity Middle School. Festival gates open at noon, and Gabriel Cox will provide Saturday’s music starting at 9 p.m.

Gates open at 10 a.m. on Sunday with ATV pulls. The Coors Light entertainment tent will be open to all ages starting at 11 a.m. with live entertainment starting at noon. Tractor pulls start off the afternoon at 1 p.m. followed an hour later by monster trucks. The festival closes at 3 p.m. following the monster trucks event.

Admission prices for adults are $15 for Friday, $20 for Saturday and $12 for Sunday. Seniors 62 and older are $8 on Friday, $10 on Saturday and $5 on Sunday. Kids ages 6 to 12 are only $5 any day, and kids under 6 are free. Tickets are available online. Parking is $5 per vehicle, but a shuttle is available for pickup and drop-off during the festival at Stayton Roth’s, Stayton Safeway and the Sublimity Fire Hall. Shuttles will arrive at the festival 30 minutes past the hour every hour and depart from the festival 50 minutes past the hour every hour (full schedule on website).

The Sublimity Harvest Festival started in 1973 as a competition between local farmers to see whose tractor could pull the most weight the furthest. In the early years a “sled” was hooked to the back of the tractor and farmers and spectators would jump on and add weight until the tractor could not pull any further.  The distance was measured using a hand held tape.

“Forty-four years later, the same friendly competition takes place, but with people coming from all over the Western United States to compete,” Ingalls said.